A Yugi/Yami story

Through a Dragon's Eye

Chapter 8-The Truth about the Runaway

Yami stayed watch over Yugi all night; he never once left his side. The only think that was going through his mind was the dream he had the night before he met Yugi. Yami closed his eyes and thought about that dream once again… it had been quite some time since he thought about it… but…

… why did he think that he wasn't real. That dream that he had that night was so real, and he just brushed it off as though it was nothing. How could he have every have thought that it was all just a dream?

"I'm sorry, Yugi," he whispered quietly putting his head down. He wasn't sure if he could hear him but it didn't hurt to try. "You were the one who made things different; you were the one who let me in. You were the one person that I could always count on. I don't understand how I ever thought that you weren't real. You were real… at least to me you were… wasn't that enough? You were my friend."

"We'll always be friends, Yami. And that's pretty real."

Yami's head snapped up when he heard that voice. Yugi was looking at him with exhausted eyes, and a small smile. "Yugi…" whispered Yami. "Are you ok?"

Yugi gave a bigger smile. "I've been better, but I've been worst." He looked around him, "Where are we?" he asked.

"We're at a healer's house. I've known her for a long time, and she was the only person I could think of too help us out."

"Oh, I see," said Yugi. "She's your friend?"

Yami thought that one over for a minute. He didn't know about Ishizu being his friend, I mean they weren't exactly close, but they got along alright.

"I'm sorry," said Yugi closing his eyes, breathing deeply. Yami looked at him in surprise. "Sorry for what?" he asked him confused.

"I'm sorry for getting sick," said Yugi not looking at Yami. "I should have told you that I wasn't feeling well, if I did we wouldn't be here."

Yami shook his head fiercely. "It not your fault," he said loudly. Yugi looked back at him, wide-eye. "It's my fault for not noticing that you were sick," said Yami looking at him with sad eyes. "If I've noticed a little earlier, we could have stopped and rested, till you felt better and…"

"It's alright," said Yugi, cutting him off. "If you feel alone, I'll be there. If you want to cry, you can cry on my shoulder. If you need a hug, I'll be here for you. If you're happy, then I'm happy... anytime you need a friend, I'm always going to be there for you."

Yami thought for a second that he was going to cry. All his life he never once thought that anyone would ever care about him… never once thought that anyone would want to be here for him… but he did. When they first met each other, he somehow knew they would always be friends. Their friendship has kept on growing through all the adventures we had together. Yugi listened to him when I had a problem, and help dry the tears from my face whenever he cried. He took away my sorrow and erased all the loneliness that was in my heart. He could never forget the fun they had; they laughed 'til their faces turned blue and talked about things that they thought were funny. This was a true friendship and he wouldn't have traded it for anything.

"As I pass through this lengthy struggle of life in this fleeting world, I cannot help but long for the midnight moon I once saw," croaked out Yugi.

Yami looked at him again, and saw that Yugi's eyes had closed and his breathing was quiet as he went off to his dreams.

"No matter the result, I am pleased with the boy's stubbornness. I can already see the stunned faces of some mud-brained adult," said a calm voice from behind them. Yami spun around and saw that Ishizu was standing in the doorway.

"Others think this child's string will be easy to pull from the shadows… But they will find that he is no puppet."

Yami turned back to look at Yugi, "How long have you've been there?"

He heard Ishizu's footsteps slowly walk towards them and then stop right beside him. "Really now Yami is this how you plan to go through the rest of your life? Ears plugged… eyes closed… hiding behind the pain of your own past? How far will you go to forget everything?"

Yami didn't look at her, trying to block out the things that she was saying… when he realized that… she was right. A friend is someone who can see the truth and pain in you even when you are fooling everyone else. A true friend is there is there to make you laugh even when you feel like crying, Yami, and if you need to cry, I think he should be the first to know about it. When he is well again, I must insist that you tell him the truth on why you ran away. Do you agree?"

Yami nodded without looking at her, and he remained that way for a long time, until he heard her leave the room. Yami just sat by Yugi's side and waited.

(Two weeks later)

After two weeks in bed, Yugi had finally gotten over his sickness and was walking around the small cottage and through the garden with Yami. Yami had hardly left his side the whole time; but even after all this he still hadn't told Yugi the truth about why he ran away.

"Is it that we're so different from each other?" said Yugi's voice. Yami was startled out of his daze and looked down at him, "Did you say something?"

"I was just wondering that maybe the reason that you seem so distracted these days is that we are so different from each other?"

"What on earth are you talking about?" Yami asked him in amazement.

As they walked on Yugi went on talking, "It's just that I've noticed that you aren't yourself. You seem so distracted lately, just gazing off into space and me and Ishizu have to keep repeating ourselves because you aren't listening. You're not yourself, something is bothering you. And I thought that maybe it's because that we are so different from each other that I can understand why you aren't happy."

As Yugi was talking, Yami was shaking his head. "No, Yugi, it's not that you don't understand me, it's that I don't understand myself." Yugi had no idea what to say to that so he just kept on listening.

"You have helped me in more ways than one Yugi. You've given me so much that I feel like I'm about to over flow. Look at me Yugi... I need you to listen to me… I need to tell you the truth on why I ran away from home."

Yugi stopped dead and stared at him, as though he never saw him clearly before. Never once in the year that they've been traveling had Yami ever once told him why he ran away. Yugi knew that he had problems with his home and he didn't want to stay there for another second but he never told Yugi what the problems where. And Yugi never once tried to talk about it, though he burned with curiosity, he just decided to wait until Yami was ready to talk about it. Well, now seemed like he was finally ready to tell him.

Yami took a deep breath and began talking, "It's just that… my home village isn't too far away from here, in fact if we just walked along the path that leads here then we would be there in almost half a day." Yami stopped talking for a second as though he thought that Yugi would say something. When Yugi didn't he went on, "The real reason I left home was because of someone I used to know who lived in the village. And the only thing that he ever wanted in life was power.

He was obsessed with power… it was all he ever cared about. He'd go on and on about nonsense, blind to everything else, except how to get more, more power; and to use every means to get it. Everything he did, he did to get closer to power, to understand it. He made ships, weapons… he even used to punish me greatly for speaking out of turn."

Yugi gasped. "He punished you?"

Yami let out a sad sigh. "That's a part of my life that I rather forget. Don't worry though, it sure didn't last long. I left home... and him behind. But before I left, these people offered him power… more than anyone could ever hope for… and he took the offer. And when he did… I think that's when he lost his heart to power itself, which was when he lost himself. And when that happened; I suppose that's when I lost my father.."

Yugi stared at him. He just stood there numb; he had no idea what to say… how to help. But before he could think of something Yami turned around to look at him… "Don't make the same mistakes that he made," he said sadly.

Yugi couldn't stop staring at Yami, and after a minute Yami turned his back on Yugi and went on. "I ran away. I couldn't stand to see him like that anymore. A power-hungry, shadow of himself. So I ran away… for the first time in my life I was free. Funny that I left the village, only to return to so close to it now; I mean how could I have known that it would turn out this way? And then, of course, I met you. All that running, and I got nowhere. It's time to end this—cut my ties to the past." He walked a few feet away watching the tree branches blow in the wind.

"Hating my father… getting away from him. It's all I ever thought about." He went on, "but I never did anything about it. I mean, I realized there was nothing I could do. It made me feel… hollow somehow. And then I'd felt... alone. That's why I ran away, just anything to keep my mind off it. That's why I never told you—I was running away from my problems. I needed to get away from his control. That's why I left. But you know what? I'm through with it. I'm through running. I'm ready to find my purpose. To find some real answers—some reasons. If I stick with you, I think I will."

Yugi felt kinda sick after hearing all that and he didn't know what to say to that… except for… "Why me? Why do you think that sticking to me going to help you?"

Yami turned again to look long and hard into Yugi's face.. "After I lost my father, I had abandoned all hope for a chance to be happy... but I never did forget that a family was all that I really wanted. If I could protect but one friend… to have just one person to protect... then I could bear any shame. I would bear it proudly. If I can't defend the only person who ever believed in me... then I don't know what I do."

"You mean… me?" asked Yugi in amazement.

Yami smiled and walked forward. "Yugi," he said gently. "You were the only person who ever wanted to listen to me. You were the only person who ever cared about me. You are as dear to me as though you were my younger brother."

Yugi felt as though happiness was filling his soul, "You mean that?" he asked.

Yami laughed at the expression on Yugi's face. "Yugi, you and me—we are brothers and we will always be here for each other.. Remember the promise we made that night at the spring?"

How could Yugi forget? When he nodded Yami went on, "I'm sorry about never telling you all this but I was afraid of what you would think. Now after I told you, it seems funny that I was afraid of telling you at all. it's just that my whole life is me never fitting in anywhere… no place to belong. And by the time I realized that… I was alone."

They walked on is silence for a little ways before Yugi asked him rather timidly, "Do you still hate your dad for doing all of this?"

"Nah, I guess... after all this… I'm just sad that we were never able to work things out."

"It's hard to leave the past behind, I know," said Yugi quietly. "It's hard to be brave in a world full of people you know nothing about. You can lose sight of what's important, and the darkness inside you can make you fell so alone. But I want you to know that no matter what you'll always have at least one friend here by your side."

Yami smiled again at that and said, "I know that. But thanks for saying that all the same, this is the first time that I've ever been able to talk about it." I'll remember the things I did for a while, but I'll remember the person I did them with forever, he thought to himself.

(A few days after that talk)

Both Yami and Yugi were standing in the doorway saying their goodbyes and thank you's to Ishizu.

"Oh, don't mention it," she said to them. "It's good to see you again Yami. And I have to say that its been a pleasure to have gotten the chance to meet you Yugi," she said smiling at him. Yugi smiled a sweet smile back at her.

"It's been nice to have been able to meet you too Ishizu," he said politely. "I hope we can meet up again someday."

Ishizu looked back at Yami and asked more seriously, "What are your plans now?"

Both Yugi and Yami had thought long and hard about that for a while all last night. "Well," said Yami, we are going to pass right on by the village up ahead and continue on our way to the next. We'll figure out what to do from there."

Ishizu nodded. "Well, if you ever need help—you know where you can find me."

Yami nodded at her. "Thanks again for everything, Ishizu." They both looked at each other for a minute before Yugi said, "Let's get going Yami. We have a long walk ahead of us."

Yami looked back at Yugi and said "Right." As Yugi turned to walk away he said, "if you don't hurry Yami, you'll be left behind," said Yugi looking at him with those gentle, amethyst eyes. And then a second later he ran off.

"Ha, ha, adventure first, ask questions later. Your brother is more like you then you are, Yami," said Ishizu laughing. Yami looked at her in surprise. "How did you…?" he began.

She raised her hand, "I know the way you two are together. It's like you both are brothers, I know that you two aren't really brothers… but it could easily been made a mistake." She then looked at him seriously again and said, "Good luck. And take care of your friend. He's the best thing you got now."

Yami nodded again, he didn't need her to tell him that, and he took off running after Yugi. Leaving Ishizu standing in the doorway, watching the pair walk out of sight..

"Its gonna take a lot of work but if there is anyone out there who can its you Yugi," she said to herself. "I know that the journey you both have ahead of you is going to be a hard and long one… but I think as long as you both have each other… its gonna be alright in the end.

Not only that, but I think that the only ones who can cause you both to going your fullest… is each other. Yami I think that Yugi is the only one who has a chance of opening your heart."

The boys walked along the dirt road, letting the cool wind hit their face, not saying a word until something came into Yami's mind. "Yugi? You know when you first woke up in Ishizu's house? What did you mean by 'as I pass through this lengthy struggle of life in this fleeting world, I cannot help but long for the midnight moon I once saw?"

"Oh, that," said Yugi. "It's nothing, but a saying my mother once told to me. She said that when life gets tough for her she thinks of her favorite memory and that makes everything seem worthwhile. See, she's remembering the first time she and my dad had met; they met under the light of the full moon around midnight when they were young. So I guess I was dreaming of my parents that night."

Yami thought that one over for a minute before saying, "I wished I could have met her."

Yugi dropped his head. "I wished you could have to. I think that she would have liked you. But I hope that wherever she is now… I hope that she and dad are happy." Yugi could feel tears beginning to burn his eyes again and he felt Yami put his arm around his shoulders.

"I know they are, Yugi," he said gently. "And I know that things are going to be ok for us in the end."